West Midlands Police face calls to enhance their approach to investigating neighbour disputes and road traffic incidents following a recent review by the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) accountability and governance board.
In the 2025/26 period, the force recorded over 4,000 public complaints, but only 118 resulted in formal reviews by dissatisfied complainants. Of these, a mere 15 reviews led to recommendations for improvement—a sign that the Professional Standards Department generally provides a good service. However, recurring issues in complaint handling have emerged, particularly concerning certain types of cases.
Ernie Hendricks, Complaints Reviews Manager, highlighted neighbourly disputes as a persistent theme in complaint reviews. He explained that complainants often feel officers are not adequately addressing their concerns in these complex, long-running conflicts. “Disagreements can stretch over years, with multiple counter-allegations and several officers involved over time,” Hendricks noted. This can lead to inconsistent decision-making due to conflicting information. He also pointed to an overreliance on issuing orders as a resolution, without fully explaining their consequences, often resulting in further complaints and order withdrawals. Hendricks recommends West Midlands Police revisit their approach for greater consistency and earlier intervention.
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Additionally, concerns were raised about the handling of road collision investigations by the force’s Traffic Investigation Unit. The current policy dictates that investigations only proceed if an injured party can provide the offending vehicle’s registration number. However, victims may be distressed or the offending driver may flee the scene, making it impossible to supply this information. Compounding this, available CCTV footage—especially from car parks—is often not retrieved by police, with private owners reluctant to share footage without police involvement. This leaves complainants unable to access vital evidence. Hendricks suggests a review of this policy could improve outcomes for affected parties.
While significant progress has been made since West Midlands Police entered special measures in 2023, challenges remain—particularly in the handover of investigations between officers mid-case, which can disrupt continuity and quality.